Concrete panel manipulating apparatus



y 1967 w. w. FRANTZ 3,318,467

CONCRETE PANEL MANIPULATING APPARATUS Filed March 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WOODROW W FrPA/VTZ q a I ATTORNEYS.

May 9, 1967 w. w. FRANTZ' CONCRETE PANEL MANIPULATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 28, 1966 INVENTO/P WOODROW W FHA/V77 WgM ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 9, 1967 3,318,467 CONCRETE PANEL MANIPULATING APPARATUS Woodrow W. Frantz, Nazareth, Pa., assignor to Conodec Inc., Easton, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 537,768 Claims. (Cl. 214-4.)

This invention relates to a concrete panel manipulating apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for enabling a solidified concrete panel to be rotated through an arc of 180 degrees thereby turning the panel upside down.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 372,796 filed on June 5, 1964, and entitled: Method and Apparatus for Forming a Prefabricated Truss Deck. The disclosure in said application is incorporated herein by reference. As disclosed more clearly in said copending application, reinforced concrete panels for truss decks are manufactured in a manner whereby they are upside down with respect to the manner in which they are installed for use and shipped from the point of manufacture to the point of use. The present invention is particularly directed to apparatus for inverting the concrete panel after manufacture and before shipment so that the concrete panel may be shipped to the point of use with the right side up.

As disclosed more clearly in the above-mentioned patent application Ser. No. 372,796, concrete is poured into a bed a unit multiple of the length of panels desired. Thereafter, metal reinforcement is introduced into the concrete while simultaneously dividing the concrete into a unit length. When the concrete is hardened, the reinforcement projects upwardly from the concrete. At the point of use, the reinforcement will be on the lower surface of the concrete projecting downwardly therefrom. In order to facilitate ease of manipulation at the point of use, it is desirable to invert the reinforced concrete panel at the point of manufacture and before shipment. In this regard, it must be noted that the reinforced concrete panels are of substantial length, such as twenty feet, may have a substantial width, such as six feet, and a thickness of about six inches. The size of the panels may be varied as desired. Nevertheless, the size and mass of the reinforced panels render them cumbersome and care must be exercised in inverting the panels.

In accordance with the present invention, movable trolley means is provided such as a pair of identical trolleys which are adapted to engage and support the ends of the panels after the panels have been lifted upwardly from the bed by an overhead crane or the like. Means is provided on the trolleys to couple the panel engaging member on the trolley to the panel. Thereafter, the panel engaging members and the panel are rotated through an arc of 180 degrees about an axis which is horizontal and substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheels on the trolleys.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a concrete panel manipulating apparatus which is simple, reliable and inexpensive.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a concrete manipulating apparatus which will support and facilitate rotation of a concrete panel about a horizontal axis to thereby permit inverting the concrete panel.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a partial perspective view of a bed for making reinforced concrete panels and illustrates the panel manipulating apparatus of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of a portion of the bed in FIGURE 1 and illustrates the panel manipulating apparatus in side elevation.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view similar to FIGURE 2 but illustrating a separation of the panel from the manipulating apparatus.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation view showing the manner in which the panels will be stacked prior to shipment.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a trolley forming a part of the manipulating apparatus.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGURE 1 concrete panel manipulating apparatus designated generally as 10 associated with a bed 12 having side walls '14 and 16. The walls 14 and 16 are pivotably secured to the side edges of the bed 12. During pouring of concrete onto the bed 12, the side walls 14 and 16 will be upright. After the concrete has solidified, the walls 14 and 16 are pivoted to the position illustrated in FIGURES l and 3.

A track 18 is mounted on one side of the bed 12. A track 20 is mounted on the other side of the bed 12. The tracks 18 and 20 facilitate movement of a hopper dispensing car along the bed which dispenses concrete onto the bed. Before the concrete is permitted to harden, a portion of a reinforcement truss is immersed into the concrete. Such truss preferably comprises longitudinally extending reinforced members 24 and 26 interconnected by generally horizontally disposed members 28. Members 28 are totally irnbedded within the concrete panel 22. 1

As disclosed more clearly in the above-mentioned copending application, an end plate is provided on one end of the reinforcement truss members 26 and 28 to separate the entire mass of concrete into unit lengths before the concrete hardens. As soon as the concrete has hardened, the panel 22 will be raised by means of a mechanism associated with an overhead crane or the like. Such mechanism includes a lifting bracket 34 connected to one end of a cable. Bracket 34 has a pair of spaced legs 36 and 38 adapted to enter the reinforcement truss and lift the entire reinforced panel upwardly. Thereafter, the end plate is removed.

With the elevated panel 22 supported by the lifting bracket 34 at an elevation which is greater than the height of the reinforcement truss, a pair of trolleys 42 and 44 are moved to a position juxtaposed to the ends of the panel 22. Each of the trolleys 42 and 44 are identical. Hence, it is deemed necessary only to describe one of the trolleys in detail.

Trolley 42 includes a carriage 46 having wheels rollingly supported by track 18. Trolley 42 also includesa carriage 46 having wheels rotatingly supported by a track 26. The carriages 46 and 46' are interconnected by a U-shaped frame 48 having a horizontally disposed portion 50. Portion 50 supports a journal 52.

A generally C-shaped panel engaging member 54 is provided with a shaft 56. Shaft 56 is rotatably supported by a journal 52 for rotation about a horizontal axis corresponding to the longitudinal axis of shaft 56 which in turn is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of wheels forming a part of the carriages 46 and 46'.

The panel engaging member 54 is generally C-shaped with an upper leg 58 and a lower leg 60 interconnected by a vertical leg 62. The free edges of the legs 60 and 62 are provided with one or more notches 64. Preferably, the notches are V- or Y-shaped. Leg 58 supports a locking handle 66 which is threadably engaged therewith and adapted to engage the panel 22. Hereinafter the notches 64 and/or the handle 6-6 may be referred to taken along line 3-3 as a means for coupling member 54 to the panel 22 in a manner'so that one end of the panel 22 will be supported by the member 54 and be capable of rotating through an arc of 180 degrees about the horizontal axis mentioned above.

As shown more clearly in FIGURES 1 and 4, the reinforcement truss includes upstanding pins 30 and 30' at the ends of member 24 and corresponding pins 3-2 and 32 at the ends of member 26. The spacing between pins 30' and 32 corresponds to the spacing between the notches on member 58. These pins are adapted to enter the notches and prevent the panel 22 from sliding sideways with respect to the member 54 during rotation through said are of 180 degrees. These pins prevent panel 22 from falling when in the phantom position in FIGURE 3.

The locking handle 66 likewise prevents sliding or relative movement between member 54 and panel 22 during the rotation of panel 22. In addition, the locking handle 66 facilitates in preventing the trolleys 42 and 44 from moving in opposite directions away from each other at a time when the panel 22 is supported by these trolleys.

The apparatus of the follows:

A panel 22 having reinforcement members 24, 26 and 28 is formed in the manner described in the above-identified copending application. For ease of convenience, this deck or unit is identified by the numeral 13. The next adjacent deck on the bed 12 is identified by the numeral 15. Deck 13 is elevated to the proper elevation by the lifting bracket 34. As will be apparent from the illustration in FIGURES 3 and 4, the height to which the deck 13 is elevated corresponds generally to the elevation of the member 54 on each of the trolleys 42 and 44 which in turn is greater than the distance of projection for the reinforcement truss.

Thereafter, the trolleys 42 and 44 are manually or mechanically moved toward each other until the C-shaped panel engaging member 54 on each trolley embraces one end of the panel 22. Each of the pins 30, 30, 32 and 32' enters one of the notches 64 on the member 54. Thereafter, the handles 66 are rotated until the threaded head on the handles engages the panel 22 and is securely in contact therewith. The lifting bracket 34 can now be removed and the panel will be supported by the trolleys.

As shown more clearly in FIGURE 3, the panel 22 and its reinforcement truss can be rotated through an arc of about 180 degrees in the direction of the arrows illustrated therein. Thus, the reinforced panel and the panel engaging members rotate about a horizontal axis which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheels on the trolley. With the panel now supported in a horizontal position and the truss depending therefrom, as illustrated in FIGURE 4, the trolleys 42 and 44 now may be moved in opposite directions away from each other while supporting the panel by the legs-36 and 38 on the lifting bracket 34. Thereafter, the lifting bracket 34 may be utilized to move the deck 13 to position where it will be stored as illustrated in FIGURE 5. The above process will be repeated with respect to deck 15. Deck may then be stored on top of deck 13. In this manner, the decks will be stored and ready for shipment in the same orientation necessary for installation.

present invention is utilized as Various modifications are within the scope of the present invention. Thus, the upper leg 58 and the lower leg 60 of the member 54 may be. constructed so as to be adjustable toward and away from one another, to accommodate different thicknesses of panels. Also, the frame 48 on ch of the tm l y 42 and 44 may be made verti V on each member sally adjustable so as to accommodate panels having reinforcement trusses of different heights. If desired, the

trolleys may be provided with a brake or other device to prevent movement of the trolleys along the tracks 18 and 23 when desired.

The trolleys 42 and 44 may be releasably intercon-. nected with one another. Preferably, the trolleys 42 and 44 are unconnected so as to provide greater versatility in connection with the length'of decks which may be made on the same bed 12. Thus, while decks 13 and 15 are the same length, and made on the same bed side by side, the decks 13 and 15 could be of different lengths.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the'invention. a

I claim:

1. Concrete panel manipulating apparatus comprising a first pair of carriages mounted on wheels, a frame interconnecting said carriages, a second pair of carriages mounted on wheels and interconnected by a second frame, said frames having a generally horizontal portion above the elevation of their respective carriages, a panel engaging member supported by the horizontal portion of each frame for rotation about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheels, said members projecting towards each other, means on each member for coupling the same to a panel in a manner so that one end of the panel will be supported by each member and be capable of rotating through an arc of horizontal axis, a. horizontally disposedbed having side walls, a track on opposite sides of said bed, and the wheels of said carriages being supported by one of said tracks.

2. Concrete panel manipulating apparatus comprising first and second frames each supporting a panel engaging member mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, said members projecting towards each other and being C- shaped in transversecross section for receiving anend of a panel member disposed between said frames, means for coupling each member to an end of a panel received therein so that each member supports an end of a panel while being rotatable therewith through an arc of 180 about said axis, said means including notches on the free edges of at least one of the legs defining each C-shaped member.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said member is C-shaped in transverse cross-section so as to have an upper leg, lower leg interconnected with the upper leg by a vertical leg, said vertical leg being connected to said frame.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said member is C-shaped in cross-section, said last mentioned means including notches on the free edges of the legs of said C-shaped member. I

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said last mentioned means also includes a locking handle on said member for engagement with a concrete panel to prevent relative movement between the member in the direction of said horizontal axis.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 937,620 10/1909 Loser. 2,576,660 11/1951 Williams 2l4-1 X 2,741,374 4/ 1956 Morgan. 2,815,867 12/1957 Ewaldson et al. 2 14-1 MARVIN A, CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

about said panel and said 7 

2. CONCRETE PANEL MANIPULATING APPARATUS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND FRAMES EACH SUPPORTING A PANEL ENGAGING MEMBER MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID MEMBERS PROJECTING TOWARDS EACH OTHER AND BEING CSHAPED IN TRANSVERSE CROSS SECTION FOR RECEIVING AN END OF A PANEL MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID FRAMES, MEANS ON EACH MEMBER FOR COUPLING EACH MEMBER TO AN END OF A PANEL RECEIVED THEREIN SO THAT EACH MEMBER SUPPORTS 